Ten Years Later
by bellutrixlestrange
Summary: Ten years have passed since the war ended. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter were both left widowers raising young children. A chance meeting at a wedding threw them together. Two years into their relationship, life starts throwing them a few curve balls. How will they deal with the trials to come?
1. Moving On and Moving In

One would think that after ten years people would stop looking at Draco as though he were the Dark Lord returned to life. One would think that he would be able to walk down the street without hearing someone tell him that he belonged in prison. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Draco had spent ten years trying to escape his past, but no matter what he did there was always some self-righteous asshole who believed they were better than him, just because of a mistake he made when he was sixteen years old.

Even after ten years, he still had people threaten, or even attack him, whenever he went into public. It had gotten so bad at one point that he had refused to leave the Manor for three months. It was Astoria Greengrass that had finally gotten him to go out in public again. She had been his rock, the one person he could go to for comfort from nightmares or to calm his fears. They had fallen in love and gotten married five years after the war ended. A year later Scorpius was born, and three months after that Draco's world fell apart.

Astoria fell ill, and none of the healers at St. Mungo's could figure out what was wrong with her. They had turned to muggle medicine as a last resort, and her illness was finally diagnosed as stage four lung cancer. There was nothing the doctors or healers could do to save her. She died, leaving behind a broken husband and a four month old son.

Astoria had been the love of his life, and after losing her, he thought he would never be happy again. Then came Blaise Zabini's wedding to one Ginevra Molly Weasley, where Draco stood as the Best Man. It was there that he was reintroduced to Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Wouldn't-Bloody-Die. It was also there that he learned that Harry was in the same boat he was. Apparently, Potter had met Lyssandra Wells, a nice witch from Canada, and had settled down shortly after the war. Two years after their marriage, their daughter Marissa was born, and four years after that, Lyssandra was killed in a Potions experiment gone wrong, and Potter was left to raise their young daughter alone.

Draco and Harry had spent most of the wedding reception talking, drinking, and trying to avoid any mention of the war and Draco's Death Eater past. After the wedding, they had managed to keep in touch, and started going out for drinks regularly. Eventually, they had gone from going out for drinks a couple of times a month to going out for dinner once a week, and after nearly two years of dating, they had gotten engaged and decided to move in together.

After much arguing, the two had decided to buy a four-bedroom house in the muggle town of Little Whinging, on the very street that Harry had grown up on. While neither of them was very thrilled at the location, they both loved the house, as did their children. Marissa was excited to be moving in to a new house, and Scorpius was excited to start muggle school, as Harry had insisted that both children needed to learn how to function in the muggle world as well as Magical.

Finally, after weeks of packing and planning, it was time to move everything into the new house. The move was going quite well, at first. Molly had offered to watch the children while all of her sons, with the addition of Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott, helped Harry and Draco move and unpack. The problem was _all_ of the Weasley boys were helping, including Fred and George, who were taking the opportunity to test out their new products on unsuspecting Slytherins. Or rather, one Slytherin in particular.

Theo, being the newest member of their merry little group, was the target of most their pranks. The fact that he showed up late and hungover made him even more of a target. They had been working for barely two hours and Theo was already sporting red and gold hair, donkey ears, and hooves. Draco almost took pity on his friend, but decided against it. He still owed Theo for when the man had shown up late, drunk, half-naked, and with a hooker to Draco's wedding five years prior. If Draco had anything to say about it, Theo would be paying up for _that_ little mistake for a _very_ long time.

A loud shriek from the kitchen broke Draco out of his thoughts. As he walked into the room to see what new prank the twins had unleashed on their no longer unsuspecting victim, he heard Blaise drawl, "Theo has fur."

"I can see that." Draco replied, eyeing his now fluffy purple friend. "That color suits you, Theo."

"Very funny, Draco. Could you please do something to fix this?" Theo gestured to his entire body. "Because my _darling_ boyfriend is being somewhat useless right now" He glared to where Ron was doubled over laughing.

"Not a chance, Theo. You deserve this." Draco was now finding it hard to keep a straight face.

"What do you mean I 'deserve this'? I've done nothing to deserve this!" Theo glared at the blond.

"My wedding," was Draco's only reply.

Theo sighed. "You're never going to get over that, are you?"

"Theo, you brought a muggle prostitute to my wedding. _And she was naked._ Ofcourse I'm never going to get over that." Draco couldn't believe that he was having this conversation with Theo again.

Theo smirked. "It could have been worse. I could have been naked too."

Draco glared at the purple man. "You almost were. If my memory is correct, you were wearing nothing but fishnet leggings and a loincloth. It could not have been much worse. Honestly, I'm surprised nobody had a heart attack when you showed up."

"Didn't your great-aunt Cecily have a heart attack that day? When the loincloth fell off?" Blaise chimed in.

"Oh, yes. I had forgotten about that. Even more reason for me to let you suffer. You killed my great-aunt." Draco's glare intensified.

Ron, who had finally managed to stop laughing, walked over and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "Now why haven't I heard this story yet, Theo?" he whispered into the tall man's ear.

Theo made an expression that Draco was sure would be amusing if his face were not covered in purple fur. "It's not exactly something we talk about in normal conversation, dear. Now, could you please convince your brothers to reverse these ridiculous pranks?"

"And what if I like you like this?" The redhead asked.

"Oh, hell no. I did not need to know you were a fucking _furry_!" Blaise yelled before storming out of the room.

"Yeah, Ron…" George said.

"Keep your kinks to yourself." Fred finished.

"What the hell did I just walk into?" Harry asked from the doorway.

"We were discussing Theo's brutal murder of my great-aunt Cecily and somehow got onto the topic of Ronald's kinks." Draco answered, walking over and laying a kiss on his fiancé's cheek.

"I'm not a furry!" the redhead yelled.

"Okay, I really don't want to know." Harry said, shaking his head. "But Molly sent food, so could someone go let everyone else know that it's lunch time? And could one of you please turn Theo back to normal? As wonderful as your pranks are, we're in a muggle neighborhood, and I would rather not have to explain to Kingsley why _another_ muggle had to be obliviated after seeing a purple fluff monster." He glared at the twins.

They both grinned. "Sure thing, Harry. We wouldn't want another incident." Fred nodded.

"Yeah, twice was enough." George replied, flicking his wand and returning Theo to normal.

"Oh, thank Merlin." Theo sighed as the fur disappeared.

"I'll go let everyone know it's lunch time." Draco said, walking out of the room. _That was an interesting start to our new life, huh, Harry?_ Draco thought as he walked away.


	2. Dealing With the Dursleys Part 1

Five days after Harry and Draco finished moving into their new house, Draco heard a knock on the door. It wasn't entirely unexpected; new neighbors did tend to draw peoples' attention. What did surprise Draco, however, was the person who was at the door.

"Hello, I'm Petunia Dursley, from down at Number Four." The horse-like woman introduced herself.

Draco took a second to compose himself before reaching offering his hand to the woman. "Draco Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you." He smiled amiably at her.

"Well, I just came by to welcome you to the neighborhood, and see if you and your family would possibly like to come over for dinner some night this week?" Petunia asked.

"I'll have to talk to my fiancé about that, but I'm sure there would be no problem. Would tomorrow night at seven be a good time?" The blond replied. _Harry's going to kill me._

"Of course. Tomorrow night at seven would be lovely. My son and his girlfriend will be there as well, I believe. We don't get to see him often, you see, so we take any opportunity we get." She looked at Draco sadly.

"I understand. I haven't had a real conversation with my parents in over two years. They don't really care for my fiancé all that much. Then again, until we started dating, I didn't really care for my fiancé either." He grinned. "We hated each other all through school, didn't associate with each other after school, and then met back up at a mutual friend's wedding, and we just… fell in love." A slight blush spread across Draco's face.

"It's so nice to see young people in love." Petunia smiled at him. "Now, I need to be getting home. I have so much to do. I'll see you tomorrow at seven?"

"Tomorrow at seven." Draco nodded and closed the door as the woman left. "Harry's definitely going to kill me." He whispered to the empty house.

* * *

"You did WHAT?" Harry shouted at his fiancé.

"Quiet, Harry. The kids are asleep." Draco seemed unaffected by the man's shouting.

"Why?" Harry glared at the man. "Why the _hell_ would even _think_ that was a good idea? The Dursleys? Really?"

"Yes, the Dursleys. And I thought it would be a good idea because frankly, you and they have some issues you need to work out. And by work out your issues, I mean you need to hex them. A lot." Draco smirked.

"I'm not going to hex them, I'm not going to put myself into a situation where I would have a reason to hex them, and I sure as hell am not letting my daughter go anywhere near them. They're monsters. They're worse than Umbridge. _They locked me in a bloody cupboard for ten fucking years!_ " Harry raised his voice again.

Draco calmly flicked his wand to erect a silencing charm around the room. "I know that. Believe me Harry, I know. But you need to face them. Trust me on this. And if you don't want Marissa and Scorpius there – and believe me, I don't either – then we can ask Remus and Dora to watch them. You know they always love seeing Teddy and Jamie." He walked over to Harry and pressed their foreheads together. "I know you don't want to do this, and I don't want to do it either, but you need closure."

Harry closed his eyes and breathed out slowly before replying. "Okay. I'll do it." He opened his eyes again. "You're right; I do need to do this. But the kids aren't going anywhere near that house. And I need you to promise me that you won't curse them. Got it?"

Draco nodded. "Of course. You're forgetting, I may be engaged to the Boy-Who-Lived-Twice," Harry flinched at the name, "But most people still see me as the little Death Eater who let all his 'friends' into Hogwarts. I'd probably be thrown into Azkaban for life if I so much as threatened a muggle, even if that muggle abused the wizarding world's Savior for sixteen years." Draco said bitterly. "Anyways, apparently your cousin and his girlfriend are going to be there. Hopefully you're aunt and uncle will want to save face in front of her. Maybe things won't be that bad." He smiled.

* * *

Things were that bad. Petunia Dursley's smile curdled into a sneer as soon as she laid eyes on her nephew. "You." She hissed out.

"Ah, Petunia, I see you've met my fiancé." Draco smiled. "Now, I believe we were going to have dinner?"

Petunia stared straight at Harry. "You're not stepping one foot inside this house, you freak!" Harry flinched at his aunt's words, eyes wide.

"I don't think you want to refuse us. You see, I know that your son is already here, and I'm sure you told him you were having visitors tonight." Draco smirked. "Also, I have some friends that would have no problem coming to pay you a little _visit_ if you piss me off." Draco raised his left sleeve, showing the woman his Dark Mark, and watched her face pale as she recognized the tattoo. She didn't need to know that Draco would never follow through with that threat, or that most of those _friends_ were either dead or in Azkaban. "And I'm sure you wouldn't want me telling all of the neighbors how Harry and I were so rudely turned away when we showed up dinner, which you invited us to, I might add. So, dinner?"

Petunia stepped aside, glaring at the two men as they entered her home. "Everyone's in the dining room. I'm sure you remember where that is, boy? I have to grab the food from the kitchen." She practically spit out.

"Of course. This way, Draco." Harry led his fiancé through the house, but stopped just before they reached the room. He turned to Draco. "I can't do this." He breathed out. "I can't, I just can't. I can't go near him. Aunt Petunia was bad enough, but I _can't_ face Uncle Vernon. Not now."

Draco put a hand on Harry's cheek. "It's okay." He whispered. "It's okay. If you really want to go home, we can. We can go home and cuddle on the couch and eat ice cream and watch chick flicks until we fall asleep." He leaned in to kiss the other man, but froze when he heard a voice call out, "Harry?"


	3. Dealing With the Dursleys Part 2

"Harry?" Draco froze at the sudden sound as Harry whirled around. Standing in front of them was a man that must have been Harry's cousin. The only word Draco could think of to describe the man was "big". He was tall and muscular, with the build of a beater. "Harry, is that you?"

"Hey, Dudley." Harry smiled shyly at his cousin.

"Bloody hell, Harry. What are you doing here? Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, of course, but I didn't expect you to ever come near this house again." Dudley stared at his cousin.

"Well, I didn't really want to, but as Draco said," Harry gestured to his fiancé. "I need closure. Though after Aunt Petunia's _warm greeting_ , I'm not sure I want to even go near Uncle Vernon."

Dudley nodded. "Yeah, that's understandable. I don't think Dad will be too terrible as long as Daphne, my girlfriend, is here. Doesn't want to look bad in front of her, you know. But if you don't feel like staying, I can come see you after dinner, yeah?"

"Of course. We live in Number Seven down the street. But I think I'll probably be okay now. I just needed a moment to calm down." Harry sighed. "And this is something I need to do."

Draco grabbed his fiancé's hand. "Don't worry, Harry. If your uncle tries anything, I'll curse him."

Harry glared at the other man. "You already promised you wouldn't curse them. And if you even try, I _will_ arrest you and let you spend the night in holding, fiancé or not. Got it, Malfoy?"

"Whatever you say, love." Draco leaned in to plant a kiss on Harry's check. "Now, are you ready to go face your demons?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. I faced down the darkest wizard of our time; you'd think I'd be able to handle a muggle." Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, I'm ready." He said before turning and walking towards the doorway, not letting go of Draco's hand.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" A loud voice bellowed as they walked into the room. Draco assumed the voice came from the large man sitting at the end of the table.

"Hello, Uncle Vernon. Lovely to see you." Harry smiled at his uncle. To anyone else, he would have looked completely calm, but Draco could feel his hand shaking.

"I thought we got rid of you years ago! And then you come waltzing back in here like you own the bloody place! Well, no more! I don't want any more of you freaks in my house!" Vernon yelled at his nephew, standing up.

"I'm going to assume that you're referring to wizards when you say 'freak', correct?" A female voice came from the other side of the room. Draco looked over to see none other than Daphne Greengrass, his form housemate and sister-in-law. "Because if you're talking about wizards, I'll be glad to leave as well." The blond girl smiled sweetly before looking at Harry and Draco. "Lovely to see the two of you. Draco, dear, how's Narcissa? I know she was feeling a bit under the weather last time I had tea with her."

Draco smiled back at the woman. "Mother's feeling much better now. I'm sure she would love to have you over for tea again sometime soon. And you should come and see the house Harry and I just moved into; it's absolutely lovely. Perhaps now, since I believe our host has made it clear that we 'freaks' are not welcome in his house. Unfortunately, Harry and I were anticipating something like this happening, so we left the children with my cousin and her husband. I'm sure Scorpius would have loved to see you. You are his favorite aunt."

Daphne looked at Dudley. "Darling, how would you feel about having dinner with some of my old school friends? I'd rather not stay in here if my presence will make your family uncomfortable."

Dudley looked at his father, who was glaring at the whole group. "I think that would be wonderful. I haven't seen Harry since we were seventeen, so it would be nice to catch up with him. Dad, I'll be leaving now. Give Mum my love, will you?"

"Wait just a minute-" Vernon started to protest before Harry cut him off.

"I thought you didn't want any of us 'freaks' in your house anymore, Uncle? Well, we're leaving now, and you won't have to deal with us again." With that, Harry stormed out, the other three young adults following him.

* * *

"So tell me," Draco said to Daphne once they were all settled for a dinner of Chinese take-out. "How did you, pureblood princess, end up dating a muggle?"

"Actually, we met at a muggle bar." Daphne answered.

"A muggle bar. You're kidding." Draco stared at her.

Daphne shook her head. "I'm completely serious. It was a year after Astoria died. I felt like shit, so I decided to go out for a drink. Dudley happened to be the bartender, and we started talking, and I spilled my guts about Astoria and a lot of other things. Pretty soon I became a regular there, and after about a year, Dudley asked me out. We've been dating ever since."

"Wait. You mean to tell me you've been dating him for _two years_ and you didn't tell me? What kind of sister doesn't tell her brother that she's got a boyfriend?" Draco gaped at her.

"Draco, trust me on this. No girl wants to tell her brother that she's got a boyfriend." Harry pat his fiancé's hand.

"But _two years_? I'm hurt, Daphne, really I am." Draco mock-glared at the woman.

"You'll live. And we've only been dating for one year. We _met_ two years ago." She replied.

Draco smirked again. "So, what do your parents think of this relationship?"

Daphne shrugged. "Not sure, I haven't told them yet. But I doubt they'd care really. They were never as big on blood purity as most families. Now, enough about my relationship. The food is getting cold, and it's never quite the same with a warming charm, so let's eat."


	4. Muggle Schools Are Awful

Draco was angry. No, Draco was furious. The day had started out normally; he had gotten up, made breakfast, gotten the kids to school, and come home to do all the chores that a stay-at-home dad does. Everything was fine until he went to pick the kids up from school. As soon as he spotted Marissa, or rather the large bruise on her face, his blood started boiling.

He got out of his car and walked over to Marissa and Scorpius, who were walking together, and kneeled down in front of them. "Marissa, sweetie, how did you get the bruise?" He asked the child.

"Some of the big kids were picking on me and Scorpius because we have two daddies and when I told them to leave me alone, one of them hit me. It hurt a lot, but the other kid got in a lot of trouble." The small girl answered him.

"Well, I need to go talk to your teacher. Can you show me where she is?" Draco asked her.

Marissa pointed to a woman near the school door. "She's right there."

Draco nodded and grabbed his children's hands before walking over to the woman Marissa had pointed to. "Excuse me, are you Marissa's teacher?" He asked her.

She nodded. "Yes, I'm Andrea Schmidt. Did you need to talk to me about something?"

"Yes. Would you care to explain why there's a bruise on my daughter's face?" Draco smiled coldly at her.

She nodded. "Ah, yes. There was an incident at lunch, but the student who did it has been dealt with."

"And tell me, Ms. Schmidt, what has been done about that student?" Draco narrowed his eyes.

"He was given detention for the next week, an adequate punishment for a ten-year-old boy, I would say." She answered him.

"Detention? Detention is not an adequate punishment for a boy who hit a girl _three years younger than him._ And from what she told me, the boy who hit her did a lot more than that." Draco was glaring daggers at the woman.

"Well, we didn't hear anything that led up to it. We saw the boy hit her, and dealt with it as well as we could. And it is up to the school to decide the punishment, not the parents, so really what you think doesn't matter." She returned his glare.

" _What I think doesn't matter?_ " Draco hissed. "My seven-year-old daughter has a huge bruise on her _face_ , and what I think _doesn't matter_?" Draco was practically shouting.

"Mr. Potter, I believe you need to calm down-" She began.

"It's Malfoy." Draco snapped at her.

"Pardon?" She looked taken aback.

"My name." He answered. "It's Draco Malfoy. Harry Potter is my fiancé."

"I see. Well, then I don't see how it is any of your business what happens with Marissa Potter as she is not actually related to you." Ms. Schmidt said.

"It is so his business!" The girl in question yelled at her teacher. "He's been my Papa for two years, and soon he's gonna be my Papa for real! And Scorpy's gonna be my little brother!"

"Yeah! And Rissy's gonna be my big sister!" Scorpius chimed in.

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Draco smiled at the two small children before once again glaring at the woman in front of him. "And as I am listed as one of her emergency contacts, I believe it is very much _my business_ what happens to her. I also believe I should have been called as soon as this _incident_ occurred. That is school policy, is it not?"

"We left a message on Mr. Potter's phone. We felt no need to call anyone else." She pursed her lips.

"And I feel no need to send my children to this school any longer. We'll be leaving now." Draco turned and walked back to his car, the children following close behind him.

* * *

"We're not sending Scorpius and Marissa back to that school, especially not while that bitch works there." Draco told Harry after explaining to him the day's events.

Harry nodded in agreement. "You're right. We'll have to find another school to send them to, or we can send them to Molly. She homeschools all of her grandkids, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind a couple more."

"Or I could teach them." Draco replied.

Harry snorted. "You? Homeschool two kids?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at the black-haired man. "You don't think I could do it? I'll have you know I tutored many of the younger Slytherins when we were in Hogwarts, and everyone that I tutored passed their exams."

"But do you have any experience teaching a four- and seven-year-olds?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no. But how hard could it be? It's basically just teaching them to read and write and do math and shit, right?" Draco asked.

"It's a lot more than that, Draco. How about we just leave to teaching to Molly, okay?" Harry smiled and planted a kiss on his fiancé's lips. "I can floo her tonight and see if she'd be okay with it, and I'm sure she would be. I don't work tomorrow, so I can take them over there tomorrow morning and we can have the whole day to ourselves to do whatever we want."

"I like the sound of that." Draco whispered against Harry's lips. Draco ran his fingers through his fiancé's hair before crushing their lips together. They sprang apart when they heard a shriek upstairs. They ran up the stairs as the shriek sounded again.

As they burst into Marissa's room, they saw Scorpius lying still on the floor, with Marissa sitting beside him. "Papa, he won't wake up!" She cried, tears streaming down her face.

Draco ran and picked the little boy up while Harry grabbed Marissa. "I'm taking him to St. Mungo's."

Harry nodded, and Draco could see his own fear reflected in the man's eyes. "We're coming with you."

Marissa was shaking in her father's arms, whispering "It's all my fault." over and over again.

"It's not your fault." Harry told her, following Draco downstairs to the fireplace.

Draco didn't have the chance to hear her answer as he grabbed a handful of floo powder and shouted "St. Mungo's," before stepping through the fireplace, praying that his son would be okay.


	5. I Can't Lose Him

Two hours after Scorpius had been admitted to St. Mungo's, Draco and Harry were still waiting for news. Harry had finally managed to calm Marissa down enough to tell them what happened. She and Scorpius had been jumping on Marissa's bed and Marissa had accidentally pushed Scorpius. He had fallen and hit his head on the nightstand beside the bed, and was knocked unconscious. After Marissa had explained everything, Harry had taken her to Fred and Hermione's house, saying she needed sleep. He got back about twenty minutes later, after explaining everything to his friends.

"This is not how I expected to spend my Tuesday night." Harry said. Draco nodded, not trusting himself to answer. There was a lump in Draco's throat, and he could feel tears in his eyes, ready to fall. Harry put his arm around the blond. "Hey, I'm sure he'll be fine. He's your kid, after all."

Draco choked back a sob. "I can't lose him. I can't. Not after Astoria. He's all I have left of her. He's my baby. I can't lose him." Draco was sobbing by the time he finished. Harry pulled Draco close to him and held him as the blond cried.

"Mr. Malfoy," Draco jumped at the sudden voice and looked up at the man who had spoken. "Mr. Malfoy, I'm Stephan Blackwell. I'm your son's Healer."

"How is he? How's Scorpius?" Draco stood up, wiping tears from his eyes.

"He's got a concussion, but he'll be fine." The Healer smiled.

"Oh, thank Merlin." Draco breathed out, nearly collapsing back into his chair. "Do you know when he'll wake up?"

He shook his head. "We're not sure, but we're hopeful that he'll be awake sometime within the next hour."

Harry stood and grabbed Draco's hand, looking at the Healer. "Can we go see him?"

"Of course." Healer Blackwell nodded. "He's in room 253."

"Thank you. We'll be going now." Harry replied. He and Draco practically ran to the room.

* * *

Draco collapsed into the chair next to Scorpius's bed and grabbed the little boy's hand. "Hey sweetheart. You need to wake up soon, okay? Daddy and Marissa and I are really worried about you, so you need to wake up." Tears were once again falling down Draco's face

Harry pulled a chair up next to Draco's and rested a hand on his shoulder. "He'll wake up soon." He whispered.

Draco nodded. "Of course he will. I just… I'm worried about him, you know? He's only four, and after Astoria…" He broke off.

Harry wrapped his arms around Draco. "I understand. Merlin, being a parent is hard." Harry chuckled.

"I don't understand how my parents did it. I was constantly getting hurt. Falling out of trees, falling off my broom, fighting with Blaise and Theo." Draco smiled. "I remember when I was eleven, just before we started at Hogwarts, I fell twenty feet off my broom. Broke my arm and got all bruised up. Mother told me I was never going to get on a broom again. I'm surprised she didn't send a Howler after that first flying class, though the letter she sent was bad enough."

"I'm sure I nearly gave Molly a heart attack more than once when we were in Hogwarts." Harry said. "Merlin, I thought she was gonna kill Ron after the flying car incident. She was certainly angry enough."

Draco nodded. "I remember that Howler he got from her. She sure was pissed. Arthur probably wasn't much better." Draco and Harry were laughing, but stopped when they heard a short moan from Scorpius.

"Papa?" The boy stared up at Draco, his silver eyes wide. "My head hurts."

"I know, baby." Draco brushed his lips over Scorpius's forehead. "You have a concussion. It's going to hurt for the next few days."

"Oh." Scorpius said. "Is it because I fell off the bed? Is Rissy okay? She didn't fall too, did she?"

Draco shook his head and chuckled. "Yes, it is because you fell off the bed, which you know you weren't supposed to be doing." He gave his son a stern look. "And yes, Rissy is okay. She didn't fall off the bed. But she's really worried about you. She'll be happy that you're okay."

Scorpius blushed. "I'm sorry, Papa. I shouldn't have jumped on the bed. But at least Rissy didn't get hurt too."

Harry looked at Draco. "I'm going to go ask the Healer when Scorpius will be released, then I'll go get Marissa from Fred and Mione." He planted a kiss on Draco's lips and Scorpius's forehead.

Draco nodded. "Okay. I'll see you when you get back." He turned back to Scorpius. "Do you need anything to eat or drink? I can ask the nurse to bring something."

Scorpius nodded quickly, then winced in pain. "Apple juice, please!"

Draco smiled. "One apple juice, coming right up."

* * *

Draco smiled at his sleeping son. Harry had returned to the hospital carrying a sleeping Marissa thirty minutes after he had left, and one hour later Scorpius had been released. The family had finally gotten home at two in the morning, both children fast asleep, but Draco was reluctant to leave Scorpius's side.

"I haven't been that scared since Seventh Year." Draco whispered as Harry walked into the room. "I don't know what I would do if I lost him."

Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's waist. "I know how you feel. I don't think I ever told you this, but Marissa was in the room when Lyssandra died. I don't think she remembers it, or at least I hope not, but she was there, and she got hurt. She was unconscious for three days. It's where she got those little scars on her stomach; some small pieces of the cauldron hit her. Lyssa managed to shield Marissa from most of the blast, but she couldn't shield herself. That was the worst day of my life."

Draco turned around and wiped away the tears that were gathering in his fiancé's eyes. "I'll make sure nothing like that happens again. You won't lose me, I promise. And I'll protect Marissa, too. I won't let anything happen to our family." Draco pressed his lips to Harry's. _I swear, I won't let anything happen to my family._


	6. The Devil's Lettuce

"What the fuck are you eating?" Draco looked at Harry with disgust. On the man's plate was some type of strange salad.

"It's coleslaw." Harry answered him. Draco raised an eyebrow. "Do you not know what coleslaw is?"

"I know exactly what coleslaw is, and you can keep that devil's lettuce away from me." Draco scowled at his fiancé.

"It's cabbage, not lettuce." Harry said, taking a bite.

"Whatever it is, it's fucking disgusting." Draco's scowl deepened. "Who the fuck puts mayonnaise on vegetables?"

"Papa said a bad word!" Marissa shouted, running into the kitchen with Scorpius at her heels. "That's a Sickle in the swear jar!"

"Actually, it's two Sickles in the swear jar; he said it twice." Harry smirked at Draco as the blond man glared.

"There's gonna be enough to get a new training broom soon!" Scorpius squealed as Draco dropped the two coins into the half-full jar. Draco was sure that there was already enough in the jar to get two new training brooms, but decided not to mention it to the four-year-old. He had already bought Scorpius the new broom, but was waiting until his birthday to give it to him.

"Daddy, what are you eating?" Scorpius asked, glancing at Harry's plate curiously. Before Harry had the chance to answer, Scorpius grabbed the fork out of Harry's hand and took a huge bite. "It tastes delicious! What is it?" he squeaked, mouth still full of the mayonnaise-covered vegetables.

Harry chuckled. "It's called coleslaw. Do you want me to put a little bit on a plate for you?" Scorpius nodded, eyes lighting up.

"No, you are not feeding that limp noodle cabbage nonsense to my child. I refuse." Draco glared at the black-haired man.

"If he wants some, he can have it. It's not going to kill him." Harry replied, glaring back.

"I want some!" Marissa yelled, jumping up and down. "Daddy makes the best coleslaw! Mummy taught him how."

"Inside voice, sweetheart." Harry told the girl, walking over to the cabinet and grabbing two saucers. "Now both of you sit at the table and I'll fix you some. Draco, are you sure you don't want to try it?"

Draco stared at his fiancé like he had grown a second head. "Hell, no. I don't understand how you people eat that shit."

"Swear jar, dear." Was Harry's only answer.

* * *

The children insisted on having coleslaw at every meal for the next week, which Draco was less than pleased with. As if that hadn't been bad enough, Molly had decided to serve it at the weekly dinner at the Burrow. Draco only hoped that the coleslaw hell, as he had dubbed it, would be over soon.

"Draco, dear, would you like some coleslaw?" Molly asked, holding the offensive side-dish towards him.

Harry smirked at his fiancé. "I'm sure he would love some, Molly. He was telling me just last night that it was one of his favorite foods."

"Oh, then help yourself." Molly smiled, spooning a helping onto the blond man's plate.

Draco glared at his fiancé as he took a bite, not being able to refuse Molly after that. "It's delicious." He lied, chewing the disgusting cabbage. It took all of his willpower, but he managed to eat all that was on his plate before taking a large gulp of pumpkin juice to wash his mouth out.

"Would you like anymore, dear?" Molly asked him.

"No, thank you," Draco said quickly. "I seem to have lost my appetite."

"But you hardly ate anything." Hermione said from her place across the table.

"You're not getting sick, are you?" Angelina asked him.

 _Sick of fucking coleslaw,_ he thought before answering. "No, I'm fine. Just not hungry. Though I'm sure I could still eat some of Fleur's chocolate cake." It would be a cold day in Hell when he would refuse the French woman's chocolate cake. _But it'll be an even colder day in Hell when I eat that limp-ass mayonnaise lettuce again._

* * *

"I can't believe you made me eat that shit." Draco hissed at his fiancé after tucking the kids into bed.

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad." Harry rolled his eyes at the blond. "Besides, it made Molly happy."

"Yeah, but it made me miserable. I thought I was going to vomit!" Draco shouted. "Please, never make me eat coleslaw again. I'm begging you, and Malfoys don't beg."

Harry smiled softly before planting a kiss on Draco's lips. "Okay, I won't. And I'll tell Molly that you don't really like it."

"Good. Because if you didn't I was going to have to resort to drastic measures." Harry raised his eyebrow in question. "Oh, I'm not going to tell you. Who knows, I may just have to use those measures for something else someday. I'm not going to warn you." Draco smirked. "A Slytherin never reveals his secrets. Now the night is young and the kids are asleep. What ever shall we do?"

"I'm sure I can think of a few things." Harry grinned and turned, walking towards their bedroom with Draco trailing behind him. Draco doubted they would be getting much sleep that night.


	7. In Which Harry is Forgetful

"Draco," the blond looked up from his copy of the Daily Prophet at the sound of his name. "You know I love you…"

"What did you do?" Draco looked at Harry.

"What makes you think I did anything?" Harry said hotly, his cheeks taking on a slight pink tinge. Draco simply raised an eyebrow and Harry's blush deepened. "Okay, so I may have forgotten to get Hermione a gift for her birthday. Which is tomorrow."

Draco stared at him. "You forgot to get Hermione a gift. Your best friend. You just forgot. How, exactly, did you forget to get Hermione, _your best friend_ , a birthday gift? Two years in a row?"

"Hey, I got her a book last year –" Harry began before Draco cut him off.

"That you bought the day after her birthday. How is her birthday the only one you ever forget?"

Harry shrugged. "Unlike some people I know," he gave Draco a pointed stare. "Hermione doesn't make a big fuss over her birthday."

"Then why are you so worried about it?" Draco asked.

"Because she's my best friend and I feel like a bad friend when I don't get her anything." Harry sat on the couch beside his fiancé. "Please, Draco, just help me find something she'd like."

"Just get her another book. Merlin knows she'll never have enough of those. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to continue reading the paper." He replied.

The two sat in silence while Draco read before Harry spoke up again. "But what if I get her one she already has?"

"I'm sure you can find _something_ that she doesn't already have a copy of. Perhaps an old Arithmancy or Ancient Runes book. Or maybe something on Transfiguration. I'm sure you can go to the bookstore in Hogsmeade and find an antique book that she would just die for. Now, will you please let me finish reading the paper?" Draco answered irritably.

"Oh, fine. But if she already has a copy of whatever book I get her, I'm blaming you." Harry leaned over to plant a quick kiss on Draco's cheek before standing. "I'm heading out now. Is there anything you want me to get while I'm out?"

"Some Honeyduke's chocolate would be nice, and maybe some sugar quills for the kids." Draco answered. "Speaking of the kids, why don't you take them with you? You know they always love going to Hogsmeade."

"How about we all go? We can make a day of it. Walk around the town, have lunch at that new little restaurant." Draco stared at Harry. "We haven't all gone to Hogsmeaade together in months. Come on, it'll be fun." Harry pleaded.

"Oh, fine." The blond relented" But at least let me finish reading my paper first. You go tell the kids to get ready."

"Yes!" Harry crowed before running up the stairs.

"How did I end up with three children?" Draco muttered to himself before returning to his newspaper.

* * *

"Okay, so first we have to go to the bookstore to find something for Hermione, then we can go walk around. Sound okay?" Harry asked Draco and the kids when they arrived in Hogsmeade.

"Yay, bookstore!" Marissa cheered. "Papa, Daddy, can I get a new book?" The seven-year-old stared up at her parents, eyes shining. Draco smiled at Harry before shrugging.

Harry chuckled. "Yes, Marissa, you can get new book. How about you, Scorpius? Do you want a new book too?" Harry asked, looking at the little blond boy.

"Yeah! I want a picture book!" The four-year-old shouted.

"A picture book, huh? I'm sure we can find one of those somewhere in here, what do you think Draco?" Harry looked at his fiancé.

"I'm sure we can. Now, I think we've stood outside long enough, let's go in." Draco answered, herding the three into the small bookstore.

Ten minutes into their trip to the bookstore, Marissa came running up to Draco, a large text book in her hands. "Papa, look what I found!" She squealed. "It's a new copy of _Hogwarts, A History_! And it's self-updating! Can I get it, please, please, please?"

Draco raised his eyebrow at the excited little girl. "Isn't _Hogwarts, A History_ a bit advanced for you? You are only seven years old." Draco couldn't keep the smile off of his face at Marissa's pleading look. "Yes, you can get it, sweet girl. We already told you that you can get a book." Marissa squealed again, drawing the attention of the people around them. "Now, calm down. You're disturbing the other customers. Let's go pay for that, okay?" Marissa nodded happily.

They turned to walk to the register but a man blocked their path. "Who the hell let a Death Eater in here?" The man said, looking at Draco.

"Excuse me," Draco said, ignoring the man's comment and trying to walk around him.

The man grabbed Draco's arm. "You should be rotting in Azkaban, you piece of shit."

Draco glared at the man. "Well, the Wizengamot seemed to think differently. I did have a trial where I was declared innocent of all wrongdoing. Now, if you would let me go, I'll leave."

"What are you going to do if I don't?" The man taunted, tightening his grip. "Are you going to curse me? Maybe use the Cruciatus? Or is the Killing Curse more your style?"

Draco's glare intensified. "If I did curse you, I would be well within my rights to do so, and I wouldn't be so stupid as to use an Unforgivable. I spent three months in Azkaban after the war ended, and I have no wish to go back. Now, I suggest you remove your hand from my person before I remove it from yours." Draco wrenched his arm free and took Marissa's hand before turning to walk away.

Draco heard the man shout " _Sectumsempra!_ "Before he could defend himself, the spell hit him and a searing pain ran through his back. He hit the floor with a thud, and the last thing he heard before everything went black was Marissa's screaming.


	8. Pain

_Pain. That was the only thing Draco could feel. Sharp, blinding, mind-numbing pain. He couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't_ breathe. _In the back of his mind, he could hear Harry speaking. "Do you know when he'll wake up?" Draco didn't hear anything else before he drifted off again._

 _The next time Draco came back into semi-consciousness, it was to hear Marissa and Scorpius, both crying and pleading with him to wake up. Draco wanted to open his eyes, to look at them and tell them he was alright, but he couldn't._

 _Time passed, Draco didn't know how much, trapped in his mind as he was. The sharp pain had dulled to an ache, and he could finally feel something other than the pain, thank Merlin. Someone was holding his hand, but he didn't know who. He could feel someone brushing his hair aside, and heard a soft voice whisper in his ear. "Draco, please love, wake up. Come back to me."_

Harry! _Draco thought. He had never heard his fiancé sound so broken._ Harry, I'm here. Please, I'm here. _He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't move, and his mind slipped back into unconsciousness._

* * *

When Draco finally opened his eyes, it was to an empty hospital room. He was lying on his side, propped up by pillows. He tried to prop himself on his arm to look around the dark room, but was stopped as pain seared through his back. "Fuck," he whispered as he thudded back onto the bed. _What the hell happened?_ He thought. Then he remembered. The bookstore, the man grabbing him, saying he should be rotting in Azkaban, and then being cursed. _The bastard had cursed him._ The realization hit him like a load of bricks.

He was distracted from his anger when he heard a sound. His eyes flicked over to the door and he saw someone he assumed to be a Healer walk in. "Ah, Mr. Malfoy, you're awake."

"How long have been out?" He asked, his voice cracking from lack of use.

"About a week." He answered as he began casting diagnostic spells.

"A _week_?" Draco gasped. _I've been unconscious for a bloody week._

"That was a nasty curse you were hit with, and to the back too." The healer responded. "You're lucky we were able to repair the damage. Any later and you could have ended up paralyzed."

Draco winced. "Just how badly was I hurt?"

"If that man's aim was any better, the curse would have killed you. As it was, it severed your spinal cord. We were able to repair it, but you'll still have to go through physical therapy for a while. And absolutely no strenuous exercise for at least six months." The Healer said sharply. "That means no running, no swimming, no lifting weights, and absolutely _no flying_. You also shouldn't be picking up anything heavier than a text book for that long, either."

"No flying? Are you fucking kidding me?" Draco shouted, regretting it as his voice cracked.

The Healer gave him a stern look. "Mr. Malfoy, you were seriously injured. It will take quite a bit of time before your back is healed, even with magic. If you do anything strenuous, you could set your healing back several months, and may even lose the ability to walk."

Draco had the decency to look ashamed. "I guess you're right. I very much like being able to walk. But not lifting things heavier than a text book? What about my kids? What if one of them needs me to carry them?"

The Healer shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you can't. Right now, your health is what's most important. Your fiancé tells me that you are the stay-at-home parent. Perhaps you should look into getting someone help around the house. And finding someone to help you watch your children. There isn't much you'll be able to do for the next few months. You'll have to get adjusted to being a, what is it the muggles say? Ah yes, a 'couch potato'."

"I don't want to be a potato." Draco muttered, his eyes drooping.

"Well, I'm all done here. Perhaps you should try and get some more sleep. Rest is always good for a healing body." The man smiled at him.

"I've been asleep for a bloody week. I'd actually like to be awake for more than fifteen minutes." Draco _did not_ pout as he answered, because Malfoys _do not_ pout.

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy." Draco was asleep before the Healer was out of the room.

* * *

The next time Draco woke up, it was to his fiancé's smiling face. "Hey." Harry whispered, brushing the hair out of Draco's eyes.

Draco smiled softy at the raven-haired man. "Hey."

"You're awake." Harry's green eyes were bright with unshed tears.

Draco nodded slowly. "I'm awake."

Harry choked back a sob and buried his head in Draco's shoulder. "Don't you ever, ever scare me like that again, Draco Lucius Malfoy. You hear me? Never again." Harry lifted head and looked Draco in the eyes. "Promise me that you won't ever let something like that happen again."

Draco put his hand on Harry's cheek. "I hear you. I promise." He dragged Harry down into a kiss that was broken when he heard two sharp squeals from the door.

"Papa! You're awake!" Marissa and Scorpius shrieked together as they ran and jumped onto the bed, Luna and Cho Chang following them into the room.

"Yeah, I'm awake." He replied, hugging the children.

"You were asleep for a long time, Papa." Scorpius said with wide eyes.

"I know. But I'm awake now." Draco said, petting his son's head.

"I was really scared, Papa." Marissa whispered. "When Mommy got hurt, she was asleep for a long time, and she didn't wake up. I didn't want you to not wake up. You can't leave me too, Papa. I don't want you to leave!" Tears were flowing from the little girl's eyes.

"Oh, Marissa." Draco said softly, wrapping the little girl in a hug as she cried. "I'm awake. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Your hear me? I'm going to stay right here with you and Scorpius and Daddy. I won't leave you, I promise."

* * *

"Your mother owled me. She wants to know about wedding plans." Harry scowled. The children were asleep in Luna and Cho's laps, giving Harry and Draco space to sit together on the bed, with Draco being propped up by pillows. "She didn't even bother to come see you, didn't ask how you were doing, nothing. All she cares about is _wedding plans_. Even Lucius came by to see you, but of course Narcissa couldn't be bothered."

Draco sighed. "You know how Mother is. She doesn't like to visit hospitals. Too many sick people."

Cho rolled her eyes. "What does she expect to see in a hospital? A chess tournament?"

"Perhaps the marshwiggles are getting to her. It is their mating season." Luna said. Draco didn't bother asking what a _marshwiggle_ was, knowing the explanation would probably just confuse him more.

Cho, however, could not pass up the opportunity to learn something. "What, exactly, is a marshwiggle?"

"Oh, you know, they live in marshes and they're very wiggly, like little worms. They get into your ears and affect your moods. So perhaps some of them got to Mrs. Malfoy." Luna answered airily. Cho looked at her wife like she had grown a second head.

"Somehow I doubt the marshwiggles are the cause for my mother not visiting." Draco looked back at Harry. "Anyways, what did you tell her?"

"That the wedding was in ten months and if she wanted to know anything else she could ask Molly and Ginny or come up here and ask you because you're the ones who are actually planning it." Harry answered. "Maybe it will actually get her to visit you for once."

Draco sighed again. "Unfortunately, she's more likely to go to Ginny than she is to come visit me. You know she still hasn't quite forgiven me for not letting her plan the wedding, but after the spectacle she made of mine and Astoria's wedding, I would prefer if she was as far away from these wedding plans as possible."

Harry chuckled. "That's understandable. Honestly, I would be perfectly fine if we just eloped, but I think Molly would skin me alive if I did that again."

The short silence that followed was broken when Draco spoke again. "So what's going to happen to the man who attacked me?"

"Well, it's not going to trial. There were so many witnesses, and we got a full confession from the guy, so there's no need. He said that he wanted to rid the world of the 'Malfoy stain'. We don't know if he was acting alone or if he had a partner. We think it's the latter because someone had to have taught him that curse, and he wasn't smart enough to have come up with the idea on his own." Harry's expression took on a pained look and he took a deep breath. "Draco… You weren't his original target. It was just luck that he ran into you first."

"Who was he after?" Draco asked, knowing and dreading the answer.

Harry closed his eyes and took another deep breath before he answered with a single word. "Scorpius."


	9. A Bored Draco Is Not a Happy Draco

Draco was bored. He was released from the hospital three days after he woke up, with strict instructions from the Healer to avoid all strenuous activity. Unfortunately, the only activity that Draco enjoyed that wasn't strenuous was reading. A week after his release from the hospital and he had read every book in the house. He couldn't go to the bookstore to get more books, as that would be considered "strenuous activity". Even if that weren't the case, he could barely sit up for more than half an hour before his back started aching, let alone stand long enough to go book shopping. He was bored, and he hated being bored.

He didn't even have anyone to talk to, with Harry at work and the children at Molly's for their schooling. He groaned in annoyance and turned the TV on, hoping to find something that was at least a bit interesting. After nearly ten minutes of flipping through channels, he finally settled on a rerun of _Say Yes to the Dress_. Why muggles liked to broadcast every aspect of their lives, even something as personal as wedding dress shopping, he would never understand, but at least it provided him with some entertainment.

Five episodes into what Draco realized was a _Say Yes to the Dress_ marathon, the Floo activated and Harry stepped through. "You're home." Draco said in a less than excited tone, muting the TV.

"I'm home." Harry sounded tired. He lifted Draco's legs off of the couch and sat down, placing his fiancé's legs in his lap.

"Any leads on the bastard's partner?" Draco asked.

Harry shook his head. "None that are getting us anywhere. We know that whoever he or she is, they had a connection to the Death Eaters, or at least to Professor Snape, but other than that, we've got nothing." Harry looked at Draco, his eyes wide with fear. "How am I supposed to let Scorpius go out in public when I know that someone wants him dead?"

Draco sat up, wincing in pain. "Believe me, I want to lock him away and hide him until you catch whoever it is, but we can't. It wouldn't be right. He's four years old; he doesn't even know that anything's wrong other than the fact that someone hurt me."

Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "You're right, but it doesn't change how I feel."

Draco leaned over to kiss Harry on the cheek. "Nor does it change how I feel, but we have to face the fact that Scorpius and Marissa will never be completely safe as long as there are still people around who support the Dark Lord. Or people who hate the Malfoys. Unfortunately, there are a lot of the latter."

"I know, and I'm going to do everything in my power to protect the people I care about." Harry wrapped his arms around Draco, pulling him close. "When I heard Marissa scream, and I saw you lying there on that floor, covered in blood… I haven't been that scared since Lyssandra. I thought I was going to lose you." Harry's voice cracked as he spoke.

Draco pulled back from the embrace and looked Harry in the eyes. "You won't lose me. I promise. It would take a lot more than that to kill me. I managed to survive having a crazed Dark Lord and my aunt living in my house for a year, didn't I? So don't worry. When we're so old our bones crack every time we move and we have to gum all of our food, I'll still be right there next to you, telling you you're being an idiotic Gryffindor." Draco reached up to wipe the tears out of his fiancé's eyes before pulling Harry into a gentle kiss. "I love you, Harry James Potter." He whispered against the other man's mouth. "And I will never leave you."

Half an hour and a leisurely snogging session later, Draco looked up from the newspaper that Harry had brought home. "So what are we having for dinner?"

"I hadn't really thought of dinner. The kids are staying the night with Remus and Tonks, so that gives us more options. I think we have some fish I could fry." Harry answered, standing up.

"Fried fish is good as long as you keep that slimy heap of ranch-flavored booger strips away from me." Draco scowled at the thought of ever eating that abomination again.

"Okay, first of all, what coleslaw have you had that tastes like ranch, because that's just wrong. Second of all, why do you hate coleslaw so much?" Harry asked incredulously.

"It's just limp cabbage in mayonnaise water, what is there to like about it?" Draco replied, scowl deepening.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You, Draco Malfoy, are impossible."

"You know you love me." Draco smirked.

Harry leaned down and planted a kiss on the blond's nose. "Yes, I do love you, though I ask myself why every day." Harry smiled. "How about instead of fried fish and coleslaw we just order Chinese take-out?"

Draco returned Harry's smile. "That would work. Now go, order it and leave me to my newspaper. Don't forget to order an extra egg roll."

"Of course, dear." Harry said as he walked to the kitchen.

After another half hour, the two men were curled up on the couch together eating Chinese food and watched a movie that Harry had rented. "Harrison Ford looks so old in this film." Draco commented.

"He's sixty-six, Draco. Did you expect him to look young?" Harry raised an eyebrow at his fiancé.

"Well, no. But I didn't expect him to look so old." Draco said as he watched the movie. "Why did they wait so long to make another Indiana Jones movie, anyways? It's been nearly twenty years since _The Last Crusade._ "

Harry rolled his eyes for what must have been the fifth time since he got home and paused the movie. "How am I supposed to know? And Harrison Ford looks quite good for his age."

Draco snorted. "You would think that."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, sounding offended.

"I've though for years that you had a secret daddy kink. I mean, with the way you looked at Professor Snape all through Hogwarts." Draco smirked.

"I do not have a daddy kink!" Harry shouted. "And the only way I ever looked at Snape was with loathing."

Draco smiled at his fiancé's outrage. "Of course, darling. You never had a crush on Snape or any other teachers." Draco's smile shifted back into a smirk. "A little bird did tell me that you had a thing for Kingsley at one point, though."

Harry's face took on a deep red. "I did not."

"That blush tells me otherwise." Draco laughed.

"I told Ginny not to tell anyone." Harry squeaked. "Anyways, that was years ago, just after the war ended."

"Oh, don't worry," Draco waved his hand. "I'm the only one who knows. She only told me so I'd have something more to tease you with. And if it makes you feel any better, I had a thing for Lockhart when he was our teacher."

"Really? _You_ had a thing for _Lockhart_?" Harry burst into laughter. "Merlin, I wish I'd known that back then."

Draco glared at the giggling man beside him. "Yes, laugh it up. It only lasted until the first Defense class and then his incompetence thoroughly killed any sort of feelings towards him other than disgust. I mean, honestly, he didn't even know how to stop a couple of pixies. Even _I_ knew how to do that, and I was twelve. I'll never understand why Dumbledore hired someone so utterly unqualified to teach. We learned more from _Umbridge_ for crying out loud."

"The fact that that sentence can even be said astounds me. Then again, you Slytherins probably did learn something from her. I was kicked out of class nearly every day. It's a wonder she didn't have me expelled." Harry looked thoughtful. "Come to think of it, she probably tried to have me expelled. Dumbledore would never have let that happen though."

Draco scowled. "Of course, Dumbledore would never have let anything like that happen to his Golden Boy. You were put up on a pedestal, high above the rest of us. Merlin, but that man sure knew how to show favoritism. He was almost as bad as Snape in that aspect."

Harry nodded in agreement. "What I would have given to have been treated like all of the other students, but no, I had to be treated specially because I was the 'Boy-Who-Lived' and I was destined to defeat Voldemort." Harry practically spit the last bit. "All I wanted was to be a normal boy, with normal friends, and a normal life, but then Voldemort went and fucked it all up. And I'm _still_ in the spotlight. It's been ten years since the war ended; you'd think they would find something else to talk about."

Draco sighed. "They'll find something eventually. We could always run away to America. I hear spring is nice there. We'd be safe from the Dark Lord's supporters, and nobody knows who we are over there. Everything would be great."

Harry smiled wanly. "As nice as that would be, you know neither of us could ever leave England like that. It's our home, and all of our friends and family are here. Besides, America isn't all it's cracked up to be. Believe me, I've been there. Lyssa and I went to visit some of her family a few months after Marissa was born."

"I thought she was from Canada?" Draco asked.

"She was, but her younger sister married an American and moved to Georgia with him. We ended up visiting them in the middle of summer." Harry recounted. "It was the worst vacation I have ever been on. It was around 37 degrees outside every day we were there. Never again will I visit America in the summer."

"Okay, so no running away to America to escape our problems. Got it." Draco nodded. "Now, let's get back to the movie. I want to see how Indy is going to get out of this mess." He said, taking the remote from Harry and pressing play.

Hours later when the movie was over and Draco was lying in bed beside Harry, a thought struck him. "Harry." Draco poked Harry's side. "Harry, wake up."

Harry groaned. "What is it Draco?"

"I don't want to wait." Draco said.

"Don't want to wait for what?"

"I don't want to wait ten months to get married. We should move the date up." Draco smiled and snuggled closer to his fiancé. "We should get married on Halloween."

Harry sat straight up and stared down at Draco. "Halloween? Draco, that's in less than a month."

Draco sat up as well. "Yes, I know when Halloween is. And I still think we should get married then."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I want Halloween to be a happy day. We both have a lot of bad memories from Halloween, you more than me of course, but I want something to cancel them out. So, what do you say?" Draco smiled, running his hands up and down Harry's chest.

"Draco," Harry began. "It's so soon. There's so much left that needs to be planned. I mean, I'm all for getting married sooner, but would we be able to get everything ready by then?"

Draco nodded. "As long as we don't do anything to extravagant, it should be fine. It can be a small wedding, with just our close friends and family. We can get Kingsley to officiate, and we don't have to have live music. We could do it at the Burrow, I'm sure Molly and Arthur wouldn't mind."

Harry nodded with him. "Yeah, we really don't have all that much planning that needs to be done. Mainly just catering and invitations. But wait," Harry frowned. "What about your back? The Healer said no strenuous activity for at least six months."

"I hadn't thought of that." Draco frowned as well. "I guess as long as I stay off my feet for most of the time and don't do much dancing, it would be fine. I'll just make sure I don't do anything that would hurt my back."

"So," Harry grinned. "We're getting married. On Halloween."

Draco grinned back at him and nodded. "We're getting married on Halloween."

* * *

The next four weeks were a whirlwind for Harry and Draco, both throwing themselves into the planning along with Molly and Ginny. Fortunately, the Healer had given Draco the okay to have the wedding earlier, as long as he avoided doing anything too strenuous. Draco thought that if he did anything _strenuous_ it would be punching the Healer in the nose.

The list of things that had to be done was much longer than Draco had anticipated, and they ended up recruiting both Fleur and Hermione to help with the planning. They decided to have only two people in each of their wedding parties, Ron and Hermione for Harry, Blaise and Theo for Draco. Marissa and Scorpius would be the flower girl and the ring bearer, respectively. Once the wedding parties had been decided, they decided on the guest list and arranged the seating.

Once the guest list had been finalized and the invitations sent out, they set out looking for caterers, which was the hardest part of the planning. Draco had no idea how difficult it was to get a caterer on such short notice, even when the Malfoy name was thrown into the mix. Finally, though, they found one who had an open spot on Halloween.

Finally, after four stressful weeks of planning, the day of the wedding arrived. Draco had never been so excited and terrified in his life, even when he married Astoria. He had a million thoughts running through his mind as he prepared to walk down the aisle. _What if he leaves me at the altar? What if I pass out? What if he thinks it's too soon? Is it too soon? What if something goes wrong? What if Marissa or Scorpius trip? What if they lose the rings? Something's going to go wrong, I know it. Something always goes wrong. It's Halloween and nothing ever goes right on Halloween. I'm going to mess up my vows, or Harry's going to mess up his vows, or there'll be an attack or something and we won't get to get married today and the rest of our lives will be ruined._

"Draco," the blond's train of thought was derailed at the sound of his father's voice. "It's time." The elder Malfoy took hold of his son's hand and helped him stand. "You're getting married." Lucius let a small smile slip. "Astoria would be glad to see you so happy."

Draco nodded. "She would be. I miss her so much, and I wish she had lived. But I love Harry just as much as I loved her, and I'm the happiest I've ever been. Father," Draco grinned. "I'm getting married."


	10. The Wedding

Draco could hear the Wedding Marching playing faintly as he walked down the aisle, but his mind had mostly blocked that out. Blood roared in his ears as he walked forward, eyes seeing nothing but Harry waiting for him at the end. He took a deep breath as he reached him, eyes glistening with unshed tears of joy.

"You look beautiful." Harry whispered. Draco blushed at his fiancé's words.

"Welcome, everyone." Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had agreed to officiate, said. "We are gathered here to witness the bonding of two fine young men. Harry James Potter," he paused to look at Harry. "Do you take this man, Draco Lucius Malfoy, to be your husband in magic and soul, to be bound to him until you are parted by Death?"

"I do." Harry said firmly before smiling at Draco.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, do you take Harry James Potter to be your husband in magic and soul, to be bound to him until you are parted by Death?" Kingsley continued.

"I do." Draco affirmed.

Kingsley nodded and gestured to them. "You may now say your vows."

"Draco," Harry began. "The first time I met you, I thought you were a stuck-up prick. The years that followed did absolutely nothing to change that." Harry paused as the audience laughed. "And then the war happened. We both went through hell, and you had the chance to give me up, to let the Dark win. But you didn't. If someone had told me ten years ago that I would be here, marrying Draco Malfoy of all people, I would have had them committed. But here I am, and here you are." He took a breath. "Draco, I love you more than I could ever say. The past two years with you have been some of the best of my life, and I have never been happier. I swear to you that I will be a good husband to you and a good father to Scorpius. I will love you with every fiber of my being, and I will spend every moment of the rest of our lives by your side."

Draco smiled softly at his fiancé before saying, "Harry James Potter. When we first met, I hated you. We spent years fighting, and nothing anyone said or did could change my opinion of you. After the war, I was broken. Astoria somehow managed to heal me, but then she died and I was even more broken than before. Then I saw you at Blaise and Ginny's wedding and I thought 'What the hell?'. Sitting down and talking to you at that wedding was probably the best decision I made in my life. The past couple of years have been like a dream. I fall in love with you every day, over and over again. I love you so, so much, Harry. I swear to love you, and to never stop loving you. Even when we're so old that we can't hold our forks, I'll be right there holding your hand. Today is the start of the rest of our lives, and I will do everything in my power to make each day better than the one before it." Tears were flowing freely from the eyes of both men.

"I now pronounce you husbands. You may kiss to seal your bond." Kingsley said. Harry grabbed Draco and dragged him forward. The kiss only lasted for a moment, but for Draco it felt like a lifetime. They broke the kiss and turned towards the crowd as Kingsley said, "May I present to you Mr. Harry Malfoy-Potter and Mr. Draco Malfoy-Potter."

* * *

"I think I'm the happiest man alive right now." Harry whispered into Draco's ear as they performed their first dance as husbands.

"Not possible." Draco whispered back. "There is absolutely no way that you are happier than me right now."

"I think we'll just have to agree to disagree." Harry chuckled as the song ended. "Do you need to sit down now? You've been on your feet for a while now." Draco nodded and let Harry lead them to their table.

"Those were some nice vows you wrote each other." Blaise said as they walked up to the table. "Nice touch, mentioning how much you hated each other back in school."

"Yes, they were rather brilliant, weren't they?" Draco smirked.

"I'm just surprised you even wrote vows. Harry's never been the most creative of people." Ginny quipped from beside her husband.

Harry glared at his friend. "Eyes like pickled toads." He reminded her.

"Oh, hush. I was eleven, in case you've forgotten." Ginny glared back.

"Forgotten that you had a schoolgirl crush on me for three years, you mean? Because that's not something I would forget." Harry adopted a smirk not unlike his husband's.

"Yes, antagonize the pregnant red-head. That's always a good idea." Ginny's glare intensified.

Harry smiled. "You know you love me, Gin."

"Yes, but I wonder why every day." Ginny rolled her eyes at the man.

"So Draco," Hermione said from across the table. "What are you two planning on doing for your honeymoon?"

Draco sighed. "Absolutely nothing. My Healer gave me strict orders not to do anything too strenuous, and that includes vacations to tropical islands, apparently. We're planning on taking a vacation after my back is completely healed."

"Well, when you do, Fred and I would be happy to watch the kids. Rose is always asking me when Scorpius is coming back over. I think she may have a little crush on him." Hermione grinned. Draco was sure that the little crush was returned by his son.

"Oh no," Fred spoke up. "My little girl is not allowed to have a crush on anyone until she's thirty."

"Good luck stopping her." Ginny snorted. "If you couldn't stop me from having crushes and dating, you're definitely not going to be able to stop her. She's half Hermione and half _you._ You're not going to be able to stop her from doing anything once she puts her mind to it. Just wait until she's a teenager."

Fred groaned and let his head fall onto the table. "Hermione, why couldn't we have all boys?"

"I can't be the only girl in the house. We already had two boys, I needed a girl." Hermione answered, rubbing circles in her husband's back.

"Yes, but now I'm going to be raising a teenage girl. I'm going to have to beat the boys off with a stick!" Fred cried, burying his head in his hands.

"How do you think I feel? Marissa's going to start dating a lot sooner than Rose." Harry said from his place beside Draco.

"Sorry to change the subject," Ron interrupted from the end of the table. "But do you have any leads on the partner of the guy who attacked Draco?"

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Nothing. All we know is that the guy had a partner. We managed to get that much out of him, but he won't tell us anything else. We think his memory may have been modified."

"Damn. I'm sure you'll find something. There can't be that many people who know that curse." Ron replied. "I doubt Snape spread it around."

"It's just a question of who he taught it to. We'll find him, though. Now, enough of this negativity. It's a happy day." Harry turned to look at Draco. "Everything is going to be just fine."

Draco smiled and nodded. _Everything will be fine._


	11. The End

Everything was not fine. A couple of hours after the wedding ended, Harry was called into work. Apparently they finally had a lead on the partner of the man who had attack Draco, and Harry would never pass up an opportunity to catch the person who had attempted to hurt their son. Therefore, Draco was left at home to watch over the children by himself. On his wedding night. All he wanted was to curl up in bed beside Harry and go to sleep.

He was tired, sore, and in desperate need of a back massage. Instead, he was charged with taking caring of two very active children and making dinner, a task that he recruited Marissa to help with. Asking a seven-year-old for help making dinner was apparently not the best idea he'd come up with, especially since Draco himself was not the most skilled cook. The walls of the kitchen were currently covered in pizza dough, though how, Draco wasn't sure. He had only left the girl alone for two minutes.

"Marissa, why are the walls covered in pizza dough?" Draco questioned his blushing daughter.

She looked down at the floor. "Well, it was all lumpy, so I decided to use the mixer like Papa showed me. But it didn't work." She looked back up at him, eyes shining with tears. "I'm sorry Papa. I didn't mean to make a mess."

Draco crouched down to Marissa's level and wiped the tears off of her face. "It's okay sweetheart. It's easily cleaned up." Draco flicked his wand, clearing the mess off of the walls. "There, see?"

"So you're not mad at me?" Marissa asked, sniffling.

Draco shook his head. "No, of course not. Just don't use the mixer again without me or Daddy there, okay? Something could have happened. I almost broke my fingers using that damn thing once."

"Papa, you have to put a Sickle in the swear jar." Marissa giggled.

"I know." Draco replied as he stood back up, wincing as pain shot through his back. "Now, what do you say we order a pizza instead of making one? That way we don't have to cook." Marissa nodded and followed him as he walked into the living room.

Scorpius was sitting on the couch, entrance by _Fantasia 2000_. Draco didn't really see the appeal of a movie that was comprised almost entirely of instrumental music, but the kids seemed to like it, and it kept Scorpius occupied. It was currently at a scene called _The Sorcerer's Apprentice_ , which Draco thought was the most ridiculous part of the whole movie. As if a _real_ wizard would have to enchant brooms to clean.

"Scorpius, Marissa, what do you want on the pizza?" He asked the two children, pulling their attention away from the ridiculous Disney movie.

"Pineapple!" Scorpius shouted.

"We're not getting pineapple on the pizza, Marissa is allergic." Scorpius pouted at his father. "How about pepperoni and mushrooms?" Scorpius perked back up and nodded excitedly. "Marissa, does that sound good to you?" The black-haired girl nodded. "Okay, pepperoni and mushrooms it is."

Half an hour later, the pizza was delivered and a new movie was put on. Marissa had insisted that they watch the new Barbie movie, _Barbie and the Diamond Castle_ , and Scorpius, who went along with everything that the older child said, had agreed fervently. So Draco was stuck watching a Barbie movie, which he was actually enjoying, a fact that he would not admit under torture.

He was distracted from the movie and his pizza as a silver stag shot into the room. "We got him." Harry's voice filled the room. "We got the bastard. I'll be home in a few hours, just gotta finish up some paper work. I love you."

Draco let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as tears flowed from his eyes. He choked back a sob as Marissa and Scorpius looked at him. Scorpius walked over to where Draco was sitting and wrapped his arms around him. "Don't cry Papa. Everything is okay. Daddy said he was gonna be home soon."

Draco smiled, pulling Scorpius into his lap and wrapping his other arm around Marissa, who had walked over to join them. "They're happy tears Scorpius. I'm happy. I'll be even happier when your daddy is home safe and I can see him."

"What did he mean 'we got him'?" Marissa questioned.

"Remember last month when that man cursed me?" Draco asked, looking down at her. She nodded against him. "Well, he had a partner, someone who taught him the curse. Daddy and the other aurors have been looking for him all this time, and tonight they finally got him. He's going to go to prison for a long time, just like the one who cursed me. That's why Daddy had to go into work right after the wedding."

"Oh. Okay." Marissa said, turning her attention back to the movie and curling up next to Draco. Draco pulled both of his children a bit closer, wanting to hold onto them for as long as possible.

* * *

That was the scene Harry came home to later that night. Draco, Scorpius, and Marissa were all curled up together on the couch, sleeping like a litter of kittens. Draco was roused from his sleep as Harry walked over to the couch where they all lay.

"Hey, you're home." Draco whispered sleepily to his smiling husband.

"Yeah. I see you're all comfortable." Harry whispered back.

"Hm. Define comfortable. My back aches and I could really use a shower." Draco looked around for a clock. "What time is it anyways?"

"Almost midnight." Harry replied. "What do you says we get these two up into bed?" Draco nodded in agreement as Harry prodded at Marissa. "Come on, love, it's time for bed."

"Okay." She muttered, standing up and trudging towards the stairs.

Harry took Scorpius from Draco's arms and helped his husband stand. "I'm going to get this little one tucked in. You go ahead up to bed without me, okay?" Draco nodded before following their daughter up the stairs.

When Harry finally joined him in bed, Draco asked him, "So, who was it? Anyone I knew?"

"Zacharias Smith, if you can believe it." Harry answered.

"Wait, you mean that asshole Hufflepuff that was in our year?" At Harry's nod, he continued. "Merlin, how did he even know that spell?"

Harry shook his head. "We're not sure. He had ties to Death Eaters, we know that. He probably learned it from them."

"Well, at least you caught him." Draco said. "Do you know if he had any more partners?"

"No, other than the man in the bookstore, he was working alone. Apparently he had a grudge against you for something that happened in the war. A long time to hold a grudge though." Harry curled his arm around Draco. "We got him."

"You got him." Draco agreed.

"He's going away for a long time. He confessed to everything." Harry sighed. "We're safe. We're safe, and we're married, and we're going to be okay. Sweet Merlin, we're married." He laughed.

Draco leaned forward to kiss his laughing husband on the nose. "We're married. You're my husband, and I'm never going to let you go."

"This is the beginning of the rest of our lives, isn't it?" Draco didn't bother answering him with words, instead pressing their lips together in a gentle kiss. Harry smiled against Draco's lips. "I love you, Draco Malfoy-Potter. More than I could ever say."

Draco smiled back. "I love you too, Harry Malfoy-Potter. And actions speak louder than words."

 ** _~fin~_**


End file.
